Day out in Petro
Today while we were waiting for more info on our region transfer, our translator took us out to explore Petro. We took a walk down Constitution Avenue for some sightseeing and stopped in at a small museum about Kazakhstan history. It was neat to see all of the history of Kazakhstan and Petropavlovsk. After walking through the park, we went to the shopping mall that they have here to look around. While there we had lunch in the food court. Cheeseburgers! Not the same as back home, but they were good and a welcome change from the chicken and pasta we eat at the apartment!!
We are waiting on some paperwork from the Dept. of Education for our region transfer, but if everything goes ok it looks they would like us to arrive in Pavlodar Thursday afternoon/evening. They would like us to take a train ride tomorrow night from Petropavlovsk to Astana (8 hours) and then once we arrive in Astana we would need to take a taxi to the airport and then catch a flight to Pavlodar from there. The train ride seems a little intimidating to us as we will be by ourselves, but we are also looking forward to this adventure because we haven't been on a passenger train like this before. (Well at least not that we can remember!) So far we have had a translator with us to assist with all the transportation...the train ride will be interesting!! I wish that the train ride was at least during the day so that we could see the Kazakh scenery, but surely the trip will go by faster at night. We were originally told that there may be 3 children for us to meet in Pavlodar, but it now seems like there will only be 1 for sure. This changes often, so we will just have to see what happens once we get there.
When we woke up this morning to check our email and comments, we were amazed at the number of responses and people reaching out to help! It made me tear up. Thank you all so much, from the bottom of our hearts. Our friends, family and online community have been such a support for us; and believe me...we need it!
Here are some pictures from today.
On a bench on Constitution Avenue
Dustin in the Museum
Cortney - Yurt Exhibit @ Museum
Department of Education
Our new tiny yurt!
Love, Cortney & Dustin
posted by The Stone's @ 4:41 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I've just recently started following you guys. We just came home from Ust without a child - we were in a completely different situation, but I can appreciate the one you are in. It sounds like you are handling it well, staying positive and trying to enjoy the ride. Best wishes and good luck to you both. Enjoy the train - it sounds like an adventure!
Hi,
I did over 200 hours of train journeys during my adoption in Kazahkstan last year......between Petro and Almaty, 5 or 6 journeys.
It was a fantastic experience, and one of the most memorable of the adoption. The 'bathroom' is interesting, the guards look imtimidating in their uniforms, but then they take their big coats off, and they serve you tea!! Meeting the locals on the train is the best part!! Take food. I got my translator to write a note for me to show to the guards, so everyone knows who you are and why you are there. Don't worry about a thing.
Hi, I've been excited to follow your adventure as well. Sorry that things don't seem to be working out in Petro. As for the possibility of only meeting one child in Pavlodar, I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I were in Kaz last year. We heard from everyone else how they met multiple children. Well, when we got there, there was just one little munchkin for us to meet. And he was just perfect! So, I know you're probably not worrying about it, but I just wanted to send you positive thoughts that that one child could absolutely be the perfect one for you!
Have a great time on the train ride. I wish we could have had a Kaz train adventure too. But we did get to take the local bus from the town we were staying in to the next town over (where the baby house was) for about 3 weeks after our court date. Our coordinator thought we were crazy not to hire our driver anymore, but we had SO much fun taking the bus. And I think we kept the locals entertained. LOL Can't wait to hear about your adventure in Pavlodar. Cheers,
Tanya (Mama to Cooper from Schuchinsk)
Hi Cort and Dustin,
We are thinking of you and sending you good thoughts. This post sounds like you feel more hopeful. We are certain that your train ride will be an adventure that binds you together for years to come as you recall the memory. Take care. Sending you love as always!
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